How quickly time flies - we are already towards the end of the first quarter of 2015. And I'm going nowhere with my Europe posts. :/
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After 5 days in Paris, we took a domestic flight to Barcelona, Spain! Got onto the Aerobus (airport bus) from the airport that brought us to Plaça Catalunya, the city centre, for 10.2 Euros per person for a two-way ride. From there we took the metro to our airbnb. Barcelona was a respite for us because we immediately felt like the place was relatively safer than Paris and the people friendlier. But after leaving Barcelona I realised that the crime rate in this city is actually pretty high, thank God nothing happened to us! In fact, we ranked Barcelona as one of our top favourites after our whole trip.
We dropped our bags at the apartment and after a chat with our lovely airbnb host, we headed to a nearby to a restaurant that he recommended because he claimed they served the best seafood paella in Spain. The restaurant was situated at a hotel called La Ciudadela Hotel.
Poor boy was feeling cold because he didn't layer up! The weather was below 20 deg that day and the wind chill factor made us shiver while waiting for our food. Apparently, you have to pay extra to sit outside! Probably because alfresco dining is popular among the Europeans. We requested to sit inside once there was available seating, because we were cold and thought the food may also get cold faster.
Paella, portion for two! Don't be fooled by this unassuming picture. This was the BOMB. What a way to be welcomed to Spain, because it certainly set the bar so high. Over the next few days this was constantly in our minds, and as we tried other paella that didn't reach the standard of this, we actually found ourselves coming back twice more.
After our very satisfying lunch we headed back to the apartment to pile on more layers and set off exploring the area. We lived near the Arc de Triomf so it was our first stop. Not as majestic as the one in Paris, but still pretty unique and brimming with Spanish influence.
As we walked through the park I was enjoying the vibe here. So chill, and a different type of vibrancy that hung in the air as compared to the other cities we visited. We didn't encounter touts or shady people at all.
Totally digging the balcony railings!
If I remember correctly this was probably somewhere near/at the gothic quarter. Love how the streets are for pedestrians only, and there are even random palm trees sprouting out in between the buildings.
Random bakery with an appetising display!
Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.
Random market selling vintage trinkets and souvenirs.
Museu de la Catedral.
We managed to cover quite a bit of the city on foot in half a day, and half a day was enough for me to fall in love with this city!
Palau de la Música Catalana was our last stop before heading for dinner, some grocery shopping and back to the apartment. The sun sets pretty late in the summer so at 8pm it was still bright out but we decided to conserve energy for another full day out.
*****
Day two in Barcelona: first stop for the day was Sagrada Família, designed by famed architect Antoni Gaudí. This basilica is one of the most famous in the world, and even though it started being built in the 18th century, up till today, construction is still ongoing. Projected completion is in 2026 so from now till then, the construction cranes are part of the landscape.
We crossed over to the park opposite to get a better view of the entire basilica.
A very beautiful work of Gothic architecture, but it's a pity that we have to wait another decade to see the final product. Anyway, we bought tickets only the day before at the advice of our airbnb host, so all we had to do was flash the reservation confirmation on my phone and we were in. No need to queue! Our ticket price came with audio guides, and I would highly recommend getting them because you would actually understand what you are looking at.
The moment we entered, I swear our jaws dropped open. This is the most breath-taking interior of a church I have ever seen. No picture could do justice to this place.
The ceiling and columns resembled trees and branches. I really felt like I was in a magical concrete forest.
I really also loved the stained-glass windows that gave the whole interior of the church a warm and colorful glow.
We probably spent more than an hour wandering around, mostly looking up at the ceiling. Haha.
Managed a picture, but not a very good one because of the crowd. :/ Nevertheless, Sagrada Família was simply beautiful. It's definitely a must on anyone's bucket list & I would certainly not get sick of returning for future visits!
Impressed by Gaudí's work, we set off with anticipation to visit another of his works.
Casa Batlló, also known as "House of Bones" due to its skeletal and organic qualities.
Just next door is another famous building in Barcelona, designed by another architect - Casa Amatller. These two buildings are situated in a popular fashion district, on an avenue called Passeig de Gràcia, where you can find many popular luxury brand stores.
Much of there to be seen in Barcelona is within walkable distance, and we were fortunate to be there in pretty good weather - sunny yet chilly. Our next stop was La Rambla, a touristy pedestrian street filled with alfresco restaurants, florists & street performers etc. Basically the whole street is very lively and full of activity.
Our main purpose in visiting La Rambla was the Mercat de La Boqueria.
Towards the front end of the market entrance, you will be greeted with rows of fresh produce and sweets/chocolates.
Even ice popsicles in some many different flavors.
Towards the middle and back end you'll find meats and other hot food to go.
Crepe station!
Spanish pastries that caught Joel's eye. I think he bought the curry puff looking thing!
We settled on trying some calamari and fish which was nothing fantastic but did the job of filling our tummies a bit.
Since we are in Spain, might as well try their local delicacies. Bought dry-cured ham, also known as Jamón in Spanish. Took a bite off a piece and proceeded to throw the rest away. We couldn't get used to it's acquired taste! :/
At the end of La Rambla, we came across a 60-meter tall monument called the Colombus Monument.
Further up is Port Vell. Throughout the whole trip so far we didn't encounter any beachy areas so it was refreshing to finally be near the sea. It felt like the European version of Miami except that there weren't bikini babes cos the weather was too chilly.
Palm trees = vacation mood.
Palm trees, blue sky and sea. We took a leisurely stroll along the whole Port and after which we decided to find a place for a tea break!
I constantly pester Joel to let me have coffee everyday! He says it's an addiction and sometimes discourages me from buying. After starting this corporate job, I find myself needing caffeine to function like a normal human.
Crepe!! Just cos I was craving. I don't know why we didn't even have churros at all the whole time we were there. After all churros originated from Spain? Sigh. Reason to go back! ;D
City Hall.
Pleasantly surprised to see a street named after one of my "favorite" authors. "Favorite" because his book 1984 was one of my O' Level Literature texts and thus I developed a love-hate feeling towards it. Subsequently 1984 went on to inspire many other great works including another fav of mine - 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.
Hours of walking through such similar alleyways. But I didn't mind at all.
After some shopping (note the shopping bag Joel is carrying ;P) we headed to Park Güell. Coming out of metro station we had to take a series of escalators up, after which we had to continue uphill on foot.
Before visiting the actual park we stopped by Antoni Gaudí's house, which was a mistake because there was nothing much to see actually.
He was a simple man so his house was pretty bare.
This post is getting too long, and our visit to Park Güell has quite amounted to quite a fair bit of pictures. Shall continue in the next post!
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